Kevin Durant pops up on NBA Twitter after failed Boston Celtics trade news

Kevin Durant pushes back on fan after getting called the B-word after news of his failed trade to Boston is made official.

Kevin Durant pops up on NBA Twitter after failed Boston Celtics trade news

Kevin Durant

The Boston Celtics have been perennial contenders ever since recruiting Brad Stevens to the organization and tanking in his first year. The team has capitalized on savvy trades, informed drafting, consistent coaching philosophies and organizational excellence. Currently reigning champions and holding a 56-20 record, this iteration of the team could even have had Kevin Durant in place of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.

ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania caused an uproar on NBA Twitter after revealing the Celtics’ trade proposal for KD. The team had been linked to the four-time scoring champion in the aftermath of their Finals loss to Golden State. However, as things transpired at the time, Kevin Durant stayed put in Brooklyn over the summer and signed an extension. ‘The Slim Reaper’ would be traded to Phoenix in the middle of 2022-23.

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Recruiting Durant could have been a double-edged sword for the Boston Celtics. Brown went on to record a Finals MVP-worthy performance in last year’s playoffs. The team came as close to the 2023 NBA Finals as they could after falling into a 3-0 deficit. The homegrown duo of Tatum and Brown would vindicate Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla‘s faith in their pairing with a dominant championship run in 2024.

One wonders whether adding Durant while subtracting Derrick White and Brown from the equation might cause a worse outcome. The Celtics would certainly have found it harder to trade for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who are crucial starters. They would’ve had to make do with sub-par bench play and relied on late first-rounders like Baylor Scheierman. They could’ve suffered from worse health problems in these 3 years.

Either way, given the way that the chips fell soon after, NBA fans would rather be happy not to see Durant on another super-team. The hate for him, already at unreasonable highs for 9 seasons and running, would have been much higher. Durant dealt with yet another anonymous NBA Twitter user calling him a ‘bi**h’ curtly.

Durant’s frustration is understandable. His efforts to put together more contenders after Golden State have been dealt with terrible luck. Both Brooklyn and Phoenix have had to gut rosters, make trades and still fall short of contention. But he’s still being viewed in the lens of the person who became basketball fans’ public enemy in July 2016.

Where will Kevin Durant land in the summer of 2025?

The 36-year-old has given no indication personally of being off the Suns bandwagon. However, he was speculated to have been dangled in trade talks during the February trade deadline. The consequences of that move may be felt in the summer by Phoenix, who are low on assets and cap space in coming years.

Despite Durant putting up the best scoring season by a 36-year-old in NBA history, his Suns are likely out of postseason contention. His two-way play has been the lone constant in the Suns’ journey, which started with a 11-3 surge before Durant was ruled out for weeks with injury troubles. Mike Budenholzer‘s team has only won 24 games since that initial stretch, losing their fourth straight game last night.

It is clear that either the Phoenix Suns head coach will depart, or one of Durant or Devin Booker will be traded. Booker has seen an uncharacteristic drop in his production this season despite being only 28 years old. His ability to get buckets by getting to the cup has severely declined, and his jump shooting is also down. The Suns will be forced to make this tough decision over the summer with repeater luxury tax penalties looming.